Volunteers Step Up To Protect Turtle Nesting Grounds At Las Cuevas Beach
Several conservation groups and volunteers stepped forward over the weekend to protect vital nesting grounds at Las Cuevas Beach, helping to ensure the area remains a safe haven for hundreds of turtles that flock to the coastline.
President of the Las Cuevas Eco-Friendly Association, Arlene Williams, spoke about their efforts, which included clearing pathways for turtles and collecting garbage to ensure a safer nesting environment.
“Right to the back of me, persons actually created a fire yesterday, and here we have plenty turtle nests here so we’re making sure that everything is moved so that if people come to light a fire, they would have to bring things in order to start that fire, and we could say for sure that it wasn’t there, so you all came with the intention to start that fire there.”
She emphasised that these turtles are crucial in creating ocean balance. By feeding on marine predators, they in turn support food security for humans. So, in protecting them, we are also protecting ourselves.
“Is a cycle, so with the turtles, the leatherback turtles in particular, they eat jellyfish, the jellyfish eat the baby fish, so if we don’t have any leatherback turtles to eat the jellyfish, then it will have no fish, and in this community, Las Cuevas, people depend on fishing as their main source of income, so if it don’t have any fish for them to catch, God alone knows what will end up with the community.”
Game Warden II with the Forestry Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Richard Sorrello, explained that keeping Las Cuevas beach clean not only protects turtle habitats but also helps boost ecotourism for the area.
“There is a growing population of turtles right here, and you could see it. The beach is a nice large area for the turtles to nest as you could see, there’s a wide area of sand, so it’s spacious enough for the turtles to come out and nest, so there wouldn’t be a problem.”
Ms. Williams encouraged persons visiting the beach to reach out to local conservation groups before coming into close proximity with these endangered species.
“When you come to the beach, walk with a garbage bag and drop your garbage in a bin or something, and if you know you coming here with something and you know you not going to leave with it, better you leave it at home.”
Home to five different species of turtles, approximately 800 have returned to the Las Cuevas site during the season.
